Study aid apparatus and method of using study aid apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method of using a study aid apparatus is disclosed. The method includes receiving supplemental information associated with a printed textbook. After receiving the supplemental information, it can be loaded into a portable, study aid apparatus. The study aid apparatus is then used to help learn about subject matter in the textbook.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This U.S. non-provisional application claims the benefit of thefiling dates of U.S. provisional patent application Nos. 60/313,104,filed Aug. 17, 2001, and 60/347,783, filed Jan. 9, 2002. Theseprovisional applications and any U.S. patents or patent applicationsmentioned below are herein incorporated by reference in their entiretyfor all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Public school systems have operated in substantially the samemanner for many years. A student, particularly from middle school on,uses at least one printed textbook for each major subject that thestudent is studying.

[0003] Among the various proposals to improve the education process,some have proposed replacing printed textbooks with electronictextbooks. Among the stated advantages of doing so, using electronictextbooks in place of printed textbooks reduces the costs associatedwith printing and allows for rapid updating of the textbooks. Whilethese advantages are desirable, printed textbooks are still widely usedin schools despite the ever increasing use of electronics in peoples'daily lives. Unlike electronic textbooks, printed textbooks are ofteneasier to read than electronic textbooks, because printed pages haveless glare than display screens. Printed pages also have betterresolution and contrast than display screens. Also, a student can moreeasily tab the pages in the textbook than the screens in an electronictextbook. A printed textbook can consequently be easier to review thanan electronic textbook. For these and other reasons, printed textbooksare likely to remain in schools for some time to come.

[0004] However, using printed textbooks alone has a number ofdisadvantages. For instance, many of the printed questions at the end ofa specific chapter in a textbook may not truly test a person'scomprehension of the subject matter in the chapter. A student can have adesire or tendency to “peek” at the questions and possibly the answersat the end of a chapter in a textbook before they have actually fullyread the chapter. Although such questions are meant to be “fresh”questions that are presented to the student after the student is donereading a particular chapter, the questions may not in fact be freshquestions to the user. Consequently, after the user reads the chapterand answers the questions, the results obtained may not be an accurateindication of the student's true understanding the subject matter in thechapter. Also, while the printed questions test a student'sunderstanding of the subject matter in a chapter in a textbook, thequestions may quickly become untimely. Questions and subject matter in ascience book, for example, can be readily outdated due to changingcurrent events. Moreover, printed textbooks also have only a limitednumber of questions at the end of each chapter. Once a user attempts thequestions at the end of a chapter in a printed textbook, there are nomore questions available for a user to try. The user's ability toprepare for an upcoming exam can be limited by the number of availablequestions in the printed textbook. Lastly, it is difficult for a user torecord his performance using paper alone. When using only a printedtextbook, a user would essentially have to manually record the number ofquestions that were successfully answered after doing each self-test.This is cumbersome and the user is unlikely to do this.

[0005] It would be desirable to retain the use of printed textbooks,while using electronics technology to address the deficiencies ofprinted textbooks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Embodiments of the invention relate to study aid apparatuses,methods of using the study aid apparatuses and systems using the studyaid apparatuses.

[0007] One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of usinga study aid apparatus, the method comprising: a) receiving supplementalinformation associated with a printed textbook; b) loading thesupplemental information into a portable, study aid apparatus; and c)using the portable, study aid apparatus to help learn about subjectmatter in the textbook.

[0008] Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a portable,study aid apparatus for use in a system including the portable, studyaid apparatus and a printed textbook, the portable, study aid apparatuscomprising: a) a housing; b) a processor in the housing; c) an audiodevice for providing supplemental information associated with theprinted textbook to the user in audio form, wherein the audio device iscoupled to the processor; d) a memory for storing the supplementalinformation and being coupled to the processor; and e) an input devicecoupled to the processor.

[0009] Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method forproviding supplemental information for a printed textbook to a user, themethod comprising: a) receiving supplemental information for a pluralityof printed textbooks; b) storing the supplemental information for theplurality of textbooks in a database; and c) sending the supplementalinformation to a user via the Internet, wherein the supplementalinformation is to be loaded into a portable, study aid apparatus that isto be used with the printed textbook.

[0010] Systems including the above-described methods and study aidapparatuses are also disclosed.

[0011] These and other embodiments of the invention are described infurther detail below with reference to the foregoing drawings anddetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1(a) shows a front view of a study aid apparatus according toan embodiment of the invention.

[0013]FIG. 1(b) shows a side view of a study aid apparatus according toan embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of some components of a study aidapparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a system according to anembodiment of the invention.

[0016]FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method according to anembodiment of the invention.

[0017]FIG. 5 shows exemplary display that could be displayed to a userwhen using a study aid apparatus according to an embodiment of theinvention.

[0018]FIG. 6 shows an exemplary Web page.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method of usinga portable, study aid apparatus. The method includes receivingsupplemental information associated with a printed textbook (such as anacademic textbook). Preferably, the supplemental information is receivedby a user from a server computer that is accessible through theInternet. The supplemental information supplements subject matter thatis in a printed textbook that is used in a school such as a middleschool, high school, college, or university. For example, thesupplemental information may comprise multiple choice questions thatpertain to chapter-specific subject matter in a textbook that the useris using.

[0020] After receiving the supplemental information, it is loaded into aportable, study aid apparatus. In some embodiments, the supplementalinformation may be transferred to a transferable information storagemedium such as a data cartridge. The data cartridge can be inserted intothe portable study aid apparatus to load the supplemental informationinto the study aid apparatus.

[0021] A user then uses the portable, study aid apparatus to help learnabout subject matter in the textbook. When using the portable, study aidapparatus, the supplemental information can be presented to the user inaudio and/or visual form. In some embodiments, a speech synthesizerwithin the study aid apparatus can ask the user a question that issimultaneously displayed on a screen in the study aid apparatus. Thedialog for the question may be pre-recorded dialog. The question andother questions can be used to test the user's understanding of thesubject matter in a textbook. The user can use the supplementalinformation to help prepare for a future exam, or simply learn aboutsubject matter in a textbook.

[0022] In embodiments of the invention, the user of the portable, studyaid apparatus is typically a student such as a middle school student(e.g., about ages 10-13, or about grades 6 to 8). The user could also bea high-school student, college student, graduate student, or even astudent that is younger than a typical middle school student.

[0023] The supplemental information may be any suitable information thatsupplements a conventional printed textbook. Conventional printedtextbooks include those that are produced by such well-known textbookpublishers such as Houghton Mifflin, McGraw-Hill, Harcourt andPrentice-Hall. Examples of supplemental information include questionsabout the subject matter in a specific chapter in a textbook, audiosegments that may supplement subject matter in a textbook, or visualsegments that may supplement printed subject matter in a textbook. Forexample, images, video segments, or audio segments can be used tosupplement subject matter in a textbook. In a typical illustration, anaudio segment of a famous speech by a famous politician can be presentedto the user by the study aid apparatus to supplement text material aboutthe politician in a printed textbook. However, preferably, thesupplemental information comprises chapter-specific questions (or othertest material) analogous to those found at the end of chapters inconventional printed textbooks. Examples of questions include multiplechoice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, true-false questions, andmatching questions. In embodiments of the invention, a set of suchchapter-specific questions (e.g., 10 or more) can be presented to theuser in the form of a pop quiz or chapter review. In other embodiments,the supplemental information may include supplementary chapter outlinesfor the textbooks. Each outline can cover key topics, definitions,concepts, and events discussed in a textbook. These supplementaryoutlines (or other supplemental information) can be printed along withdownloaded chapter questions with an appropriate computer and printer.

[0024] The printed textbooks and the supplemental information may teachthe user any suitable subject. Suitable subjects include science (life,earth, and physical science), math (computational skills, early algebra,geometry), social studies (U.S. and world history, geography,anthropology), vocabulary, foreign languages, grammar, language arts(e.g., English), music, etc. In embodiments of the invention, a singlestudy aid apparatus can be used to provide supplemental informationrelating to many chapters in many different types of textbooks to theuser. For example, in some embodiments, one study aid apparatus couldcontain supplemental questions for different chapters in six textbooksfor six different courses being taken by the user.

[0025] Embodiments of the invention advantageously retain the benefitsof printed textbooks while addressing many of the deficiencies ofprinted textbooks. For example, because pages of questions can beelectronically stored in the study aid apparatus, a user does not havethe ability to “peek” at the questions before reading a chapter in atextbook. Accordingly, when the user is presented with the questions,they are fresh and test the user's true understanding of the subjectmatter in the textbook. Also, in embodiments of the invention, the studyaid apparatus can be readily updated with questions that are timely andalso interesting to the user. For example, algebra problems that includefact patterns pertaining to current, local sports teams or sportsfigures could be presented to the user. In another example, the studyaid apparatus can present audio segments of current events to the userto supplement textbooks for social studies courses. Furthermore, inembodiments of the invention, sets of questions can be downloaded fromone or more server computers via the Internet. The user can have accessto literally hundreds or thousands of questions for a textbook, insteadof just a few questions. Consequently, the user's ability to prepare foran upcoming exam is not limited by the number of available questions.Lastly, in embodiments of the invention, after reading a chapter in atextbook, the study aid apparatus can automatically record the user'sscore after presenting the user with a pop quiz (e.g., where the user isquizzed to see how many randomized questions they can correctly answerin a predetermined amount of time) or a chapter challenge (e.g., whereafter selecting a subject such as math, science, or social studies and aspecific textbook chapter, the user is asked a series of questions thatcan be answered in, for example, a multiple choice format). After takingthe pop quiz or chapter challenge, the study aid apparatus may displaythe user's score. If the user is not satisfied with the score, the usercan then re-review the chapter and take another pop quiz or chapterchallenge. Scores can be recorded over time and the user can track anyprogress being made. Because the scores can be recorded electronicallyin embodiments of the invention, the user need not take the time tomanually tabulate scores to determine if progress is being made. Also,the pop quiz feature of the study aid apparatus allows a user tosimulate actual test conditions for a test that the user may take in thefuture.

[0026] Embodiments of the invention provide fun and engaging ways toteach subjects to the user and helps the user prepare for tests. Thereis a need among students in particular, for an apparatus that can helpthem learn what they are studying and how it is being taught. Byproviding chapter specific content based on a printed textbook used inthe classroom, the study aid apparatus can help the user learn what theyneed to know to perform well on tests and quizzes.

[0027]FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of a study aid apparatus 20 accordingto an embodiment of the invention. The study aid apparatus 20 is ahand-held apparatus that is portable and is preferably ergonomicallyshaped. Exemplary dimensions can be 4″×6″×1″. Because the study aidapparatus 20 is portable, it can be used by the user at any suitablelocation. For example, the study aid apparatus 20 can be used while theuser is on a bus, waiting for a bus, at school (e.g., in the classroomor in the cafeteria), at home, in the car, etc. To help grip the studyaid apparatus 20, a grippable plastic material 28 with ridges can beincluded on the sides of the study aid apparatus 20. The remaining bodyof the study aid apparatus may include a hard plastic material. A betterview of the grippable plastic material 28 is shown in FIG. 1(b).

[0028] The study aid apparatus 20 includes a number of input devices.The input devices include an alphanumeric keyboard 30 wherein theletters are on buttons in a QWERTY format. Other buttons include aDelete button 18 (to delete a question), a Repeat button 10 (to repeat apresented question), and an Enter button 24. A space bar 32 and a Menubutton 12 are also included in the study aid apparatus 20. Other inputdevices including on-off buttons (not shown) and volume controls (notshown) may also be included in the study aid apparatus 20. A directionalinput device 22 such as a joystick, touchpad or a directional button canalso be included in the study aid apparatus 20 to move an element suchas a cursor or pointer displayed on an LCD screen 16 above the keyboard30. One can also scroll through choices in a menu using the directionalinput device 22. Also, in some embodiments, a switchable faceplate forthe keyboard 30 may be provided to provide the user with a differentuser interface.

[0029] In addition to the LCD screen 16, output devices such as aspeaker and an audio jack can also be provided in the embodiment shownin FIG. 1(a). These output devices could be located at side regions ofthe study aid apparatus 20. For example, an audio jack could be providedon the bottom side region of the apparatus 20 under the space bar 32.

[0030]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of some components of the study aidapparatus. The study aid apparatus may comprise a processor 86 such as amicroprocessor. A memory 90, an input device 92, a speech synthesizer82, an audio output device 84, and a display device 88 may each becoupled (directly or indirectly) to the processor 86. Typically, poweris supplied to the study aid apparatus using standard disposable orrechargeable batteries (e.g., size AA batteries). In addition, the studyaid apparatus may include an automatic shut off feature that shuts offthe apparatus if the user does not interact with it in a predeterminedperiod of time.

[0031] Any suitable input device 92 may be included in the study aidapparatus. For instance, one or more of buttons, levers, speechrecognition devices, alpha-numeric keypads, space-bars, etc. can beincluded in the study aid apparatus. As noted above, one input devicecan be a menu button that allows a user to choose a subject area, orplay mode of interest. A menu of options may be presented to the userafter the user presses the “menu” button. The user may scroll throughand/or select options using the directional input device 22 and theEnter button 24. Another button that can be provided on the interactiveapparatus is a “repeat” button that the user can press to cause theinteractive apparatus to repeat the question asked. An “enter” buttoncan be provided for the user to enter a selection. Also, a “delete”button can also be provided for the user to delete a question. Buttonsin the study aid apparatus can be specifically designated to accomplishthese functions.

[0032] The memory 90 may be any suitable temporary or permanentinformation storage device. For example, the memory 90 may include oneor more of optical, magnetic, or electronic storage media such asoptical or magnetic disks, tapes, sticks, and the like. Storage devicessuch as these may be used alone or in combination to make up the memory90. Any suitable number of RAM (random access memory), ROM (read onlymemory) and EPROM (erasable programmable memory) chips may also beincluded in the memory 90. In some embodiments, the ROM can include amemory storage capacity of about 2 MB (megabytes) or more, although thestorage capacity is likely to change as data storage technologyimproves.

[0033] Since the study aid apparatus will typically be used by students,computer code for a number of other features may be desirably stored inthe ROM or EPROM in the memory 90. For example, software for ascheduler, games, address book, dictionary (e.g., a Merriam-Webster™Dictionary with over 40,000 entries), calculator, and edit/spell-checkermay be included in the study aid apparatus. In addition, code fordisplaying e-mails (e.g., e-mail reminders to the user or from theuser's parents) may be included so that the user can read e-mails on thestudy aid apparatus. Other types of computer code or software such astext-to-speech converter programs or code for music or playing music canbe included in the memory of the study aid apparatus. As anotherfunction, the study aid apparatus may be capable of storing crib notesthat the student may use. Advantageously, the study aid apparatusembodiments have many of the functions that a student needs in school.Accordingly, the student can carry only one study aid apparatus toschool instead of multiple electronic devices.

[0034] The memory 90 can also store the supplemental information for theuser, before it is presented to the user. The supplemental informationmay be temporarily stored in the memory 90, or it may be included asnon-volatile “base content” with the study aid apparatus. For example,in some embodiments, the memory 90 can store, temporarily orpermanently, 1000 or more 6 to 8^(th) grade math, science, and socialstudies questions (questions corresponding to other grade levels canalso be used in embodiments of the invention). The memory 90 may alsohave storage capacity that stores more than eight minutes of speech ormusic.

[0035] The speech synthesizer 82 may be a separate speech synthesizerchip or speech synthesizer circuitry that can be on the same ordifferent chip as the processor 86. Suitable speech synthesizer chipsare commercially available.

[0036] The audio output device 84 may include a speaker, or an audiojack or connection for a headphone or an earphone. An audio amplifier(not shown) may amplify any signals to the audio output device 84. Insome embodiments, the audio output device 84 may include an audio jack.In these embodiments, a user can use headphones so the user can listento the supplemental information. The supplemental information can bepresented to the user when the user is in a classroom, library, or onthe bus, without disturbing others in the user's vicinity.

[0037] The display device 88 can be any suitable device that can displaythe supplemental information. Suitable display devices include LEDs(light emitting diodes), LCD (liquid crystal displays), etc. Appropriatedriver programs and/or driver chips (e.g., LCD driver chips) can beincluded in the study aid apparatus to facilitate the function of thedisplay device. For example, in some embodiments, the display device maycomprise an LCD screen with 90×64 pixels with a font size of about 7×5pixels. Of course, the number of pixels and pixel sizes can vary inembodiments of the invention.

[0038] The transferable information storage medium 80 may be in anysuitable form. For instance, the transferable information storage medium80 may be a cartridge (e.g., in a flash data cartridge), a disk, a tape,or a memory stick. Cartridges are especially desirable since they can beeasily manipulated and handled by children. Any suitable amount ofstorage space may be provided on the transferable information storagemedium. Preferably, the capacity of the information storage medium is atleast about 1 megabyte (e.g., 4 megabytes or more). The transferableinformation storage medium 80 can be used to transfer information suchas the supplemental information, the user's performance information, andcode for operating the study aid apparatus to and from the memory 90 andthe processor 86.

[0039]FIG. 3 shows a system according to an embodiment of the invention.The system includes a user site 120, a first host entity site 100 and asecond host entity site 130. The user site 120, the first host entitysite 100, and the second host entity site 130 may be in communicationwith each other through a communication medium 107. One user site isshown for simplicity of illustration. It is understood that there can bemany user sites (or host entity sites) in the system. Also, some or allof the components of the illustrated system may be included inembodiments of the invention.

[0040] The first host entity site 100 may include a first servercomputer 105 with a Web site 116 through which the user can register andrequest content packages. The first server computer 105 can have accessto a content database 103, which can store content such aschapter-specific textbook questions. A user database 101 may also beaccessed by, and may be coupled to the first server computer 105.

[0041] The user database 101 can also include a file for each user ofthe system. Each user file can show the textbook chapters completed,previous quiz or self-test scores, and actual test scores. Self-ratedscores on real tests at school (e.g., poor, okay, good, great) can alsobe stored in each user file. Each user file can also include the user'sbasic information such as the user's name, grade level, subject areas,current school, textbooks used, etc. The user database 101 may alsoinclude the user's profile, which may in turn include the user'spersonal preferences and information about the user. Exemplary userprofile information may include information such the user's age,hobbies, address, phone number, e-mail address, school, favoritesubjects, relatives, teachers, favorite songs, favorite sports, favoritefoods, favorite cartoons, etc. In some embodiments, the user database101 may also contain a schedule for the user. User schedule information(e.g., a modified schedule) can be uploaded to the server computer andstored in the user database 101.

[0042] Individuals such as teachers or parents may also storeinformation pertinent to the user in the user database 101. For example,information such as actual test scores, grades, reminder messages,questions, and supplemental information such as pictures and text fortextbooks may be uploaded and stored in the user database 101. Thisinformation may reviewed by the user on the Web site 116 or can bedownloaded by the user for use in the study aid apparatus.

[0043] The content database 103 may include the supplemental informationfor the textbooks. Such supplemental information can be included in acontent package to be sent to the user. The supplemental information maybe in the form of static information or dynamic information. Forexample, the supplemental information may be in the form of sound files(e.g., .WAV files), video files, applications, image files (e.g., JPEGfiles), or text files (e.g., ASCII type files). In some embodiments, thesupplemental information can be in the form of instructions to play codestored in libraries in the memory of the study aid apparatus.Transferring instructions to play code (e.g., MIDI-type code) over acommunication medium such as the Internet is faster than transferringcode for, for example, all words in an audio segment. Specific types ofsupplemental information are described above.

[0044] The second host entity site 130 may be in communication with boththe first host entity site 100 and the user site 120. The second hostentity site 130 can also have a second server computer 131 with a Website (not shown), and a content database 132. The content database 132operated by the second host entity also stores supplemental informationsuch as chapter-specific textbook questions.

[0045] The second host entity may be, for example, the publisher of atextbook that creates its own set of questions and other supplementalinformation for its own textbooks, while the first host entity maycreate its own questions for a textbook published by another entity. Theuser may obtain supplemental information from either the first hostentity or the second host entity, and therefore from either contentdatabase 103, 132, directly or indirectly. For example, in someembodiments, the second host entity can send questions in its contentdatabase 132 to the content database 103 operated by the first hostentity so that all questions for the variety of textbooks used by all ofthe different users can be accessed by the users at one Web site 116.This reduces the burden on the users to search different Web sites forthe supplemental information.

[0046] At the user site 120, a client computer 109 such as a personalcomputer can be operatively coupled to a linker device 111. The linkerdevice 111 may be coupled to the client computer 109 through a wirelessor a wired link (e.g., a cable). A study aid apparatus 120 may beincluded in the system and may communicate with the client computer 109via the linker device 111. Once a content package with supplementalinformation is loaded into the study aid apparatus 113, it can beuncoupled from the linker device 111 and can be used independently.

[0047] The linker device 111 may be any suitable device capable oftransferring data between the client computer 109 and the study aidapparatus 113. The linker device 111 could be, for example, a wirelesstransceiver such as a wireless RF (radio frequency) transceiver or aninfrared transceiver. In preferred embodiments, however, the linkerdevice 111 is a device, which is capable of reading information from,and writing information to, the transferable information storage medium.In a typical embodiment, the transferable information storage medium maybe a cartridge, which can be inserted into both the linker device 111and the study aid apparatus 113. Cartridges are desirable, sincechildren are familiar with using cartridges. For instance, many middleschool age children are used to using cartridges for video games.

[0048] The first server computer 106 includes computer code for a Website 116 and can be in operative communication with the client computer109 at the user's site 120. The Web pages of the Web site 116 mayinclude any number of interactive features including any suitable numberof hyperlinks to help guide the user through the Web site 116. The Website 116 may also have a number of graphical user interfaces for theuser to input information such as his name, grade, preferences,textbooks used, etc. into the system. A browser on the client computer109 permits the user or others to view the Web site 116 and pagesthereof. Examples of suitable browsers include Internet Explorer™, whichis commercially available from Microsoft and Netscape Navigator™.

[0049] The server computers 105, 131 can each be a powerful computer orcluster of computers. For example, each of the server computers 105, 131can be a large mainframe,a minicomputer cluster, or a group of serversfunctioning as a unit. In one example, the server computer may be adatabase server coupled to a Web server. Moreover, each of the servercomputers 105, 131 can behave as a single computer, which services therequests of one or more client computers. Client computers, such as theclient computer 109 can communicate with the server computers 105, 131through the Internet and optionally through one or more Internet ServiceProviders (ISPs) (not shown). Client computers typically have lessmemory and less computing power than the server computers 105, 131.

[0050] The system, and especially the first server computer 105, caninclude one or more computer programs, written in any suitable computerlanguage. For example, first, second, and third computer programs usedfor performing three different functions can be embodied in a singlecomputer program having one or more subroutines, or may be embodied bythree separate and distinct computer programs. In embodiments of theinvention, for instance, the first server computer 105 may have one ormore computer programs to: update the user's information in the userdatabase 101, enter or retrieve supplemental information from thecontent database 103, or send the supplemental information to the user.

[0051] The server computers 105, 131 and the client computer 109communicate through a communication medium 107 such as the Internet, andmore particularly the World Wide Web (WWW). Typical communicationprotocols used in the communication medium 107 include HTTP (hypertexttransfer protocol) and TCP/IP (terminal communication protocol/Internetprotocol).

[0052] Although the user site 120 includes a study aid apparatus 113,some sites may include a client computer without a corresponding studyaid apparatus. For example, a teacher, a parent, or other individual maycontact the Web site 116 to view a report relating to a user'sperformance, or may upload content such as problems, questions, or factsto the Web site 116 so that the content can be included in a contentpackage for the user.

[0053] A method of using the system shown in FIG. 3 can be describedwith reference to FIG. 4. First, using the client computer 109, a usercan contact the Web site 116 on the first server computer 105 throughthe communication medium 107 (e.g., the Internet). Once the user isviewing the Web site 116, the user can register on the Web site 116(step 102). In a typical registration process, the user's name, gradelevel, subject areas being studied, textbook information, school,teacher's names, etc. may be input into appropriate Web pages on the Website 116. The Web site 116 can also contain instructions forinstallation/setup and programs such as scheduler programs.

[0054] In some embodiments, access to the Web site 116 and/or thecontent in the content database 103 may be subject to a fee.Accordingly, before or after registration, the user or the user'sparents may apply for a subscription to the Web site 116. Subscriptionsmay be for a predetermined period of time (e.g., one year). Once theuser is registered, the user (or the user's parents) can access the Website 116 to obtain, for example, new content on demand, scoreassessments, achievement certificates, recommendations for prescriptivecontent packages, and personal best scores.

[0055] After the user has registered on the Web site 116, the firstserver computer 105 can create a content package for the user (step104). The content package may include a set of chapter-specificquestions for each of the textbooks and for each of the chapters thatthe user is currently using in school. In some embodiments, the firstserver computer 105 may create the content package at the direction ofthe user or another person such as a teacher or a student. That is, theuser or another person can select questions or sets of questions forchapters and textbooks on the Web site 116 for inclusion in a contentpackage. Alternatively, the first server computer 105 can automaticallyselect specific questions or a set of questions for a content package.The server computer 105 can do this knowing the particular chapter andtextbook that the user is current studying. Questions that have alreadybeen selected for the user can be marked by the first server computer105 so that they are not selected for that user again.

[0056] After the content package is created, it is sent from the firstserver computer 105 to the user's client computer 109 (step 106). Forexample, while visiting the Web site 116, the user can cause the firstserver computer 105 to send the content package to the user's e-mailaccount. Once the user accesses the e-mail account, the user maydownload the content package from the e-mail server. Alternatively, theuser may download the content package directly from the first servercomputer 105 while visiting the Web site 116. In another example, theuser can automatically send the content package to the user without aspecific prompt. For instance, in some embodiments, the user database101 and/or the study aid apparatus 113 may contain a scheduler includingthe user's study schedule for the school term. The scheduler may containthe anticipated date that the user will be finished with a particularchapter in a textbook. Using this information, the first server computer105 may automatically select a set of questions pertinent to the chapterfor user and send it to the user at about the time the user is finishedstudying the chapter.

[0057] Although this example illustrates an embodiment where the usercan receive supplemental questions for a printed textbook through acommunication medium such as the Internet, the user can receive thesupplemental questions in other ways. For example, the supplementalquestions (or other supplemental information) can be sold in computerreadable media in stores and a user can go to the stores to purchase thecomputer readable media. For example, the user can purchase a rewritableor non-rewritable data cartridge with questions for a textbook. Somecartridges may have over 1000 questions per cartridge. After purchasing,the user can use the media with the supplemental information with thestudy aid apparatus. However, the user preferably receives thesupplemental information for the study aid apparatus through acommunication medium such as the Internet.

[0058] In some embodiments, the transferable information storage medium(e.g., data cartridge) with questions may be present with the study aidapparatus as a kit. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the kit may beobtained (e.g., purchased) by a user and the user may use the study aidapparatus immediately, without accessing the Internet. Additionalsupplemental information may be obtained, for example, by purchasingtransferable information media in stores or by downloading newsupplemental information from the Internet.

[0059] Once the client computer 109 receives the content package, thecontent package is loaded into the study aid apparatus (step 108). Thelinker device 111 may be used to accomplish this step. For instance, insome embodiments, the content package can be transferred from the clientcomputer 109 to the linker device 111. The linker device 111 can writecomputer code for the content package on a data cartridge or othertransferable information storage medium (not shown). Once the contentpackage is written onto the data cartridge, the data cartridge can beremoved by the user and can be inserted into a slot in the study aidapparatus 113. A processor in the study aid apparatus 113 can then loadthe content package into an internal memory or may access the contentpackage stored in the data cartridge.

[0060] After the content package is loaded into the study aid apparatus113, the user may use the study aid apparatus 113 in conjunction with aprinted textbook 117 (step 110). The printed textbook 117 and the studyaid apparatus 113 can be used at the same or different location.Typically, the user will read a chapter in the printed textbook 117.After reading the chapter, the user may try and answer the questions atthe end of the chapter to determine if the user has understood thesubject matter in the chapter.

[0061] If the user is unsatisfied with the user's command of the subjectmatter in the chapter, the user may then re-read the chapter and can usethe study aid apparatus 113 to test the user's understanding of thesubject matter in the re-read chapter. The study aid apparatus 113 canpresent questions for the chapter to the user in audio and also visualform. Illustratively, the chapter that has just been studied by the usermay be a chapter on electricity in a middle school science textbook.Questions, such as those shown in FIG. 5, may be presented to the userin both audio and visual form by the study aid apparatus 113. If thedisplay device in the study aid apparatus 113 is small, fewer questionsmay be displayed to the user than the number of questions shown in FIG.5.

[0062] As shown in the upper right hand corner of FIG. 5, a score window200 may be displayed to the user at any suitable time during the testingprocess. As shown, each question may be worth a certain number ofpoints. The number of points awarded for answering a particular questioncorrectly may depend on the complexity or difficulty of the question.The score window 200 can show the user's score after the user hascompleted each question or after the user has completed a set ofquestions. By showing the user's score to the user, the user can trackthe user's progress to see if, for example, further review of thechapter is needed. In some embodiments, the user's score information canbe recorded in the memory in the study aid apparatus 113, and thenuploaded to the first server computer 105. The user's score informationcan then be stored in the user database 101 and the user's scores can bestored in tabular or graphical form to show the user's progress overtime. Parents, teachers, or the user may view the progress information.The first server computer 105 may also provide the user with anassessment of the user's performance and may provide additionalprescriptive content for the user to use. Accordingly, in embodiments ofthe invention, the study aid apparatus 113 can be in two-way (orone-way) communication with the first server computer 105.

[0063]FIG. 6 shows a Web page on a Web site that can be used in anembodiment of the invention. When visiting the Web site to download newcontent for the study aid apparatus, the user may select: a “SelectPublisher” link 401, a “Select Textbook” link 402, a “Choose Chapters”link 403, and/or a “Download-Print” link 404.

[0064] If the user chooses the “Select Publisher” link 401, the user canselect a particular subject by selecting a subject link 410. The subjectlinks 410 may be selected by the user to select a particular subject.The user may use the grade link 412 to indicate which grade the user isin, and may also use the publisher link 414 to select the particularpublisher of the textbook that the user is using. In this example, thesubject links 410, the grade links 412, and the publisher links 414, arein the form of drop-down menus. They could be in the form of other typesof links such as static links.

[0065] The Web page in FIG. 6 also includes a “Continue” button 422 tocontinue to the next Web page. It also includes a “View Past ActivityPacks” button 420. If the user selects this button, the user can seewhat content packages the user previously downloaded.

[0066] Once the user has filled in the appropriate information on theWeb page, the user may select the “Select Textbook” link 402 to selectthe exact textbooks that the user is using, and then can select the“Choose Chapters” link 403 to select the particular chapters that theuser is currently studying.

[0067] Once all information about specific textbooks and chapters fromone or more different subjects is input into the Web site, the user candownload a content package or “activity pack” with, for example,supplemental questions for the textbooks by selecting the“Download-Print” link 404. The user can also download and print chapteroutlines of the selected chapters at the user's location by selectingthe “Download-Print” link 404. Accordingly, in embodiments of theinvention, a user can download a specific content package with chapterspecific questions or other information pertaining to various subjects.

[0068] While on the Web site, the user may also obtain a progressreport. The progress report can give the user feedback such as thesubjects and skills reviewed, the next steps for recommending otheractivity packs, and the time spent using the study aid apparatus.

[0069] The terms and expressions which have been employed herein areused as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is nointention in the use of such terms and expressions of excludingequivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, itbeing recognized that various modifications are possible within thescope of the invention claimed. Moreover, any one or more features ofany embodiment of the invention may be combined with any one or moreother features of any other embodiment of the invention, withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. For example, any feature ofthe study aid apparatus may be combined with any feature of the systemshown in, for example, FIG. 3 without departing from the scope of theinvention.

1. A method of using a study aid apparatus, the method comprising: a)receiving supplemental information associated with a printed textbook;b) loading the supplemental information into a portable, study aidapparatus; and c) using the portable, study aid apparatus to help learnabout subject matter in the textbook.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinthe supplemental information includes multiple choice questions. 3.-4.(canceled)
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the portable, study aidapparatus includes a) a housing, b) a processor in the housing, c) anaudio device for providing the supplemental information to the user,wherein the audio device is coupled to the processor, d) a displaydevice for displaying the supplemental information to the user, whereinthe display device is coupled to the processor, e) a memory for storingthe supplemental information and being coupled to the processor, and f)a keyboard coupled to the processor.
 6. The method of claim 1 whereinthe method further comprises: viewing a question and listening to thequestion substantially simultaneously.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereina) receiving the supplemental information includes downloading thesupplemental information from a server computer to a client computer. 8.The method of claim 1 wherein a) receiving the supplemental informationincludes downloading the supplemental information from a server computerto a client computer, and wherein the method further comprises:transferring the supplemental information from the client computer to alinker device; transferring the supplemental information from the linkerdevice onto a transferable information storage medium; and inserting thetransferable information storage medium into the portable, study aidapparatus.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the printed textbook is amath textbook, a science textbook, a language arts textbook, a socialstudies textbook, or a foreign language textbook.
 10. A portable, studyaid apparatus for use in a system including the portable, study aidapparatus and a printed textbook, the portable, study aid apparatuscomprising: a) a housing; b) a processor in the housing; c) an audiodevice for providing supplemental information associated with theprinted textbook to the user in audio form, wherein the audio device iscoupled to the processor; d) a memory for storing the supplementalinformation and being coupled to the processor; and e) an input devicecoupled to the processor.
 11. The portable, study aid apparatus of claim10 further comprising: f) a display device coupled to the processor, anda speech synthesizer coupled to the processor.
 12. The portable, studyaid apparatus of claim 10 wherein the input device comprises a keyboard,and wherein the supplemental information is downloaded from a servercomputer via the Internet.
 13. The portable, study aid apparatus ofclaim 10 further comprising: f) a display device coupled to theprocessor, wherein the display device comprises a liquid crystal displaydevice.
 14. The portable, study aid apparatus of claim 10 wherein theaudio device comprises a speaker.
 15. The portable, study aid apparatusof claim 10 further comprising a transferable information storage mediumand a slot for the transferable information storage medium. 16.(canceled)
 17. The portable, study aid apparatus of any of claim 10wherein the supplemental information comprises chapter-specificquestions for the printed textbook.
 18. A kit comprising: the study aidapparatus of claim 10; and a transferable information storage mediumincluding supplemental information for the textbook. 19.-21. (canceled).22. A method for providing supplemental information for a printedtextbook to a user, the method comprising: a) receiving supplementalinformation for a plurality of printed textbooks; b) storing thesupplemental information for the plurality of textbooks in a database;and c) sending the supplemental information to a user via the Internet,wherein the supplemental information is to be loaded into a portable,study aid apparatus that is to be used with the printed textbook. 23.The method of claim 22 wherein sending the supplemental informationassociated with one or more of the textbooks in the plurality oftextbooks to a user includes sending the supplemental informationassociated with the one or more textbooks in the plurality of textbooksfrom a server computer to a client computer via the Internet.
 24. Themethod of claim 22 wherein the supplemental information includeschapter-specific questions.